Was the backlash towards Nero responsible for this
new direction?

That is a lot of "ifs" there Endless. The thing is, we just can't make heads or tails of it.

What I don't get is the pick of Ninja Theory. When asked about Platinum Games they said they were "hard to approach" which Kamiya said was strange. Plus, when questioned who he would like to create a game with Kamiya said Capcom. Strange stuff. But then, they wanted a western developer.

I don't get it. Trying to figure it out gives you a headache. The whole thing is crazy to me.